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Goffs
The Goffs are an Ork "klan" who represent the largest and most aggressive of the known Greenskin klanz. The Goffs are the biggest, meanest and most brutish of all their kind, and that's saying something since they are Orks. Of all the Ork klanz, the Goffs are the most inspired by the thrill and thunder of battle. Goffs will take any excuse to start a brawl, even amongst themselves. As a result the Goffs are specialists in hand-to-hand combat who prefer their battles up close and personal. They are particularly fond of the Stikkbomb, because it is hurled by hand and is excellent for close combat in trenches, ruins, bunkers and ratholes. Goffs usually carry a brace of hefty Stikbombz stuffed down their black jackboots. Goff armies are notorious for the sheer number of Ork infantry they muster in times of war. A mob of Goff Boyz is usually at least twenty strong, and a true Goff horde has a hundred times that number at its heart. When the Goffs go to war, the ground shakes to the incessant thump of thousands of steel-capped boots. Overview Boy]] Toughness, meanness, and savagery are the traits most valued among the Ork klanz. Indeed, an Ork only needs to be big, tough, and ambitious enough to seize power to rise through the ranks. In this society where might makes right, the mightiest are the great Orks of the Goff klan. The biggest of the Greenskin klanz, both in height and bulk, and unmatched in their savagery, the Goffs are the archetypical Ork. They are the Ork that comes to mind when the Greenskins are discussed in the camps and war rooms of the Astra Militarum and the echoing halls of the Departmento Munitorum, and the monster with which parents all across the Imperium threaten their disobedient children. Their size, savagery, and ambition make them natural leaders among the Orks, and among their ranks the Goffs count some of the most infamous and brutal Ork Warbosses in history. Brutes of great renown, including the legendary Prophet of the WAAAGH!, Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, have worn the black and white livery of the Goff klan, and most of the successful smaller Ork warbands in the galaxy are led by these ill-tempered bullies. Goffs are also stiff and humourless in the extreme, which puts them at odds with many of their more easy-going Greenskin brethren. Perhaps their defining characteristic, aside from their generally bad attitudes, is the Goffs' sheer size. Goffs are longer of arm and broader across the shoulder than nearly any other Ork. With their reach and their immense strength and endurance, they can out-swing, out-punch, and outlast all but the toughest foes, such as the Battle-Brothers of the Adeptus Astartes, making them powerful and incredibly capable brawlers and melee fighters. Cross-grained and much given to casual brutality, Goffs are always spoiling for a fight. When not directly engaged with their enemies, they fall to fighting amongst themselves or antagonising other Ork klanz. In battle, they rely mainly on infantry, and prefer an up-close and personal fighting style. Goffs eschew the misdirection and subterfuge that certain other klanz employ, and, Gork and Mork forbid, sneaking about in the trees like a coward. This is all largely due to their ingrained notions of how things should be in WAAAGH!, namely, a full-frontal assault and tearing apart the enemy with tooth, claw, and Choppa. As such, huge, snarling mobs are the calling card of the Goff klan, and their armies tend to be larger and more homogeneous than those of other klanz. While they make decent battlefield strategists, their tactics lack any kind of subtlety, and begin and end largely with the time-honoured "screaming charge directly into the enemy guns" manoeuvre. Their preferred weapons for this kind of action are the ubiquitous Slugga, often with some kind of bayonet or other melee attachment, and the heaviest, choppiest, wickedest Choppas they can carry. Goffs also love a good explosion, and typically carry about their persons a clutch of Stikkbomz for lobbing into trenches and clearing out bunkers and pillboxes. Thanks to their bull-headed view of battlefield tactics and their love of close-quarters battle, the majority of Goff forces tend to be Sluggaboyz and 'Ard Boyz. Occasionally carried into battle on Trukks and dismounted for their final charges, but mostly content to walk wherever the fight is, these powerful infantry fighters are supported by the usual groups of Weirdboyz, Mekboyz, Runtherdz, Killa Kans, and the occasional Deff Dread. Goff Nobz frequently don Mega-Armour, as they see it as the best way to get right in the middle of the fighting to dispense some violence on their enemies. The Goffs also boast the greatest numbers of Nobz and Stormboyz amongst any of the Greenskin klanz. This is because the Goffs are the most militaristic of all the Orks. All Orks love to wage war, and wage war as a way of life, but of the Goffs it can truly be said that they live only for battle. Goff whelps indulge in dangerous rituals of strength among themselves. For these contests, they don ritual bulls-head helmets with great bull's horns attached to them. They then charge each other in the manner of raging bulls, colliding with a loud crack as the horned headgear makes contact. The whelps continue to headbutt each other until one has had enough, or until they've headbutted each other to death. Notable Goffs Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka in battle]] *'Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka' - Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka (usually shortened to Ghazghkull Thraka) is an infamous Ork Warlord of the Goff klan and a mighty prophet of the WAAAGH!. He is the single most influential Ork in the galaxy in the late 41st Millennium, and billions of Greenskins march to war in his name. Since Ghazghkull's rise to power, he has led countless campaigns of destruction. He has crushed Eldar war hosts, banished tides of daemons, and smashed phalanxes of Necrons to so much sparking scrap. Yet his greatest battles have always been fought against the servants of the Emperor of Mankind. Ghazghkull's sheer, unstoppable brutality has left countless worlds of the Imperium blazing in his wake and reduced the mighty Hive World of Armageddon, during the Second and Third War for Armageddon, to a never-ending cauldron of bloody battle. Yet Ghazghkull is not satisfied. Gork and Mork have greater plans for their prophet, plans they see fit to deliver amid agonising visions of a galaxy ablaze with green fire. At their behest, Ghazghkull is beginning his greatest work. He will travel the galaxy, subjugating every other Warlord and gathering every Ork to his banner until the stars themselves shudder to the thundering footfalls of his horde. Ghazghkull is gathering the WAAAGH! of Gork and Mork themselves, a WAAAGH! that will drown the galaxy in a war so great that the gods themselves will tear their way out of the Warp to join the fight. Ghazghkull's greatest nemesis is the Imperial Commissar Sebastian Yarrick. *'Goffboss Drogg' - Goffboss Drogg is a brutal Goff Warlord that followed Grukk Face-rippa and his Red WAAAGH!, during his rampage through the Sanctus Reach Sub-sector. Drogg was charged with keeping in line the hordes of Goffs within the WAAAGH! so that he could concentrate on just smashing stuff; Goffs have a habit of getting carried away when there's a scrap in the offing. Most of the time, Grukk did not mind if the Boyz didn't do what they were told, as long as they were knocking heads together. Those other times, he made sure Drogg was nearby to restore order. On the planet of Absedia, Grukk used his Goff hordes to break the back of the Adeptus Ministorum's defences. Drogg made sure the Boyz focussed on Absedia's Abbey of the Ardent Dawn, rounding up mobs distracted by burning up the planet's peaceful countryside and sending them up the mountain toward the humie fortress. It was also Drogg's cunning tactic to use the big statues surrounding the abbey to smash down its walls, toppling them over to the deafening cheers of the gathering Ork horde. *'Gutrak Dethhead' - Warboss Gutrak is an imposing figure, a brutish Goff with a huge bionik klaw and a serrated steel-like skull mask spattered in the dried blood of his most recently defeated foes. It's interesting to note that he's one of the few orks capable of enunciating the "th" sound. When he fought for the Great Tyrant of Jagga, Gutrak gained a brutal reputation as one of the Tyrant's best fighters. However, Gutrak's destiny was to change when his tribe landed on the carrion world of Eclipos. The planet's only settlement was an Adeptus Mechanicus research outpost at its northern polar ice cap. Gutrak and his Boyz struck the outpost like a hammer blow from the sky, their rust ships and Roks raining down as the occupants frantically assumed defensive positions. The handful of Tech-priests and Gun Servitors were no match for the Goffs, the Orks hacking and blasting them apart before searching the underground Mechanicus complex for more heads to cave in. It was Gutrak that found the massive door, as high as a Gargant and twice as wide. It looked like the Servitors had been trying to seal it up, which only made Gutrak more interested in what might be on the other side. When he heaved it open, the cave beyond gave a great mechanical groan, and thousands upon thousands of pairs of eyes blinked into flickering eerie life. The Goffs could not believe their luck as row upon row of metal men began to march forwards to destroy them. Needing no order to attack, the Boyz charged into the cavern, hacking and smashing them apart, until Gutrak personally broke their leader in half and ripped off his metal face to wear as a mask, taking the name Dethhead in honour of his new trophy. No one knows if it was through some influence of his new alien trophy which lit the fires of ambition within Gutrak, but he left the Jagga WAAAGH! after that battle, taking his Boyz with him. *'Krugg' - Krugg the "Tyrant" was a Warboss of the Goffs' Skullcrackers tribe. His Goffs had a fierce rivalry with the Bad Moons' Split-Grin tribe upon the world of Eyrok. The Split-Grin tribe might not have been huge, but they had the best loot, and the biggest guns to keep other Orks from getting their hands on it. This all changed when Grukk Face-rippa met Big Mek Mogrok and decided to take control of all Eyrok's Orks. Skagfing had only recently heard about his rival's death when Grukk and his lads smashed their way into the Bad Moons' camp, the Goff Warlord sacrificing loads of Boyz as he charged to in pin Skagfing down, stand on his chest, and messily rip his face from his skull. In a single bloody blow, the Split-Grins were absorbed into the Skullcrackers and Grukk took control of the tribe. Notable Goff Formations Goff Infantry To any non-Greenskin, Ork armies are barbaric and anarchic hordes -- a ragtag assembly with no rhyme or reason. Orks are extremely hierarchical, however, and though they may appear to be shambolic hordes, any WAAAGH! has a strict ordering and takes on the character of the Ork who leads it. As his WAAAGH! has grown so large, Ghazghkull Thraka relies upon a hardened core of mobs and warbands. These forces are organised in the way the Great Prophet of Gork and Mork prefers; their leaders have learned to fight using their own aggressive initiative, but also tactics and cunning instilled by their mastermind leader. These are warriors, mobs and formations that draw the most difficult and brutal of tasks, spearheading key assaults or attacking vital positions. Orks of the Goff klan are identified by their preference for black and red wargear, and their symbol, the Horned Bull. Goffs are straightforward and grim; they eschew flashy colours, but do go for bold glyphs and check patterns. Unlike other klanz, Goffs take care of the tools of their trade -- their weapons. Being a Goff himself, Ghazghkull preferred to use battle-hardened mobs of Goffs whenever he could. Goff Blitzboys Ghazghkull values mobility, so it is no suprise that at the heart of his WAAAGH! can be found many Blitz Brigades –- motorised columns of Trukks and Battlewagons, each carrying a bloodthirsty mob of Orks. While all the klanz are represented, Ghazghkull puts extra stock in those from his own klan, the Goff Blitzboyz. Goff Blitzboyz may not be as fast as the more infamous Speed Freeks of the Evil Sunz, but they pack more of a punch when they hit. Goffs particularly favour Battlewagons with deff rollas or reinforced rams –- even more so if those rams are shaped like the classic Goff horn symbol. Their infantry are loaded down with weapons; they have learned to carry extras, as the tuck and roll of rapid deployment and the sheer impetus of their assaults has been known to knock a few loose. Ugrak's Uglies icon of Ugrak's Uglies]] ]] Ugrak's Uglies are part of a battle-hardened and fighty core of Goffs that form the centre of WAAAGH! Ghazghkull. Ugrak was a Goff champion who led a Nob mob on Urk. After a thunderous headbutt from Ghazghkull, he saw the light (many lights, actually) and, when he recovered, Ugrak pledged his red Power Klaw to the hardest-hitting Warlord he had ever met. It was aboard Wurld Killa, after one of the many battles against daemonic attacks, that Ugrak kitted himself and his Nobz mob with Mega Armour. Having risen in prominence since then, Ugrak now leads an entire Goff warband – da Uglies. They are relentless footslogging infantry, with Boyz and Nobz in 'eavy armour -– often much scratched and worn by the rigours of close combat. At various times, Ugrak's Uglies have acted as Ghazghkull's personal bodyguard, and they had the honour of leading the spearhead attack that helped break down the final blast door of Hades Hive on Armageddon. Dread Mobz ]] Like a traditional Goff, Ghazghkull places a greater value on brutal close-range violence than the Warlord of any other Ork klan. This being the case, it is no surprise that WAAAGH! Ghazghkull attracts the 'ardest of da 'ard'. A profusion of Killa Kanz, Deff Dreads and even larger walkers can be found fighting alongside or amidst the Goff infantry. These metal monstrosities clank along amidst the mobs of Boyz, greatly augmenting their hitting power. Ghazghkull has learned through experience (if not the whispered leadings of the Gods themselves) to mob his Killa Kans and Deff Dreads together into armoured wedges –- smoke-spewing, lurching units that can stomp down enemy hordes or hack through enemy elites. Although Ghazghkull will find a place in his plans for any of these so-called "Dread Mobs", he favours those of his own klan. While it is true that Goffs despise lowly Gretchin, most have learned a grudging respect for those that manage to pilot a Killa Kan. In these hulking metal husks, the Gretchin are not scrawny weaklings, but death-dealing bruisers capable of the Ork ideal: blasting, stomping and mauling foes into an indistinguishable pulpy mass. For this reason, Killa Kanz are readily accepted into Goff warbands as well as the formidable Dread Mobs. Of course, it is possible that many Goff Boyz simply do not know that there is a Grot inside such an excellent killing machine. Heavy Huntaz utilised by Heavy Huntaz]] On the ash wastes of Armageddon, Ghazghkull found his mobile Blitz Brigades and even his Stompa Mobs were being hunted by fast-moving Imperial Sentinels, or stalled by mobile counterattacks from mechanised Imperial Guardsmen. To combat these enemies without slowing down the main thrust of his advances, Ghazghkull ordered his flanks protected by mobs of Trukk and Battlewagon-mounted Heavy Huntaz, their firepower augmented with a few rokkit-armed Warbuggies. Most of these mobs were small in size, allowing them to respond quickly to different threats to the main armies' flanks. Upon sighting their foes, the transports would peel off and the troops within would deploy at breakneck speeds -- Tankbustas mobs or Lootas soon tracking the Imperial light vehicles. Almost before their feet touched the ground, the Tankbustas would launch a barrage of rokkits towards their foe, easily ripping apart the enemies' light walkers or transport vehicles. Although Lootas needed to plant their feet before firing, the first salvo of shots from their Deffguns could rake through whole Sentinel squadrons, cutting off their long gangly legs or, better yet, exploding them into fireballs. Such countermeasures proved extremely effective, and soon more and more light detachments of Heavy Huntaz mobs secured the flanks of all larger Ork warhordes. Tellyporta Mobs Ghazghkull first used Tellyporta technology after his alliance with Nazdreg. Later perfected by the mad Mek known as Orkimedes, the Tellyporta was a key part of Ghazghkull's second invasion of Armageddon. Ultimately, all sorts of troops and equipment would be teleported onto the planet, but the first and foremost were carefully chosen Tellyporta Mobs. It was their duty to strike fast and hard, driving foes away from the incoming Ork Roks' homing signals. Nobz in Mega Armour were almost always included in the first wave of troops arriving via Tellyporta. Heavily armoured, these powerhouses would materialise with guns blazing –- often using their Kombi-weapons to ensure that their first volley packed the deadliest punch possible. After dousing the target with a good spray of Shoota fire, the Meganobz would wade into combat, hacking down any who dared stand their ground. It was Ghazghkull's intention to use his Tellyporta mobs to counter the Space Marine offensives which had blighted his first campaign at Armageddon. Indeed, some of his mobs were designated Marine-killas –- their troops outfitted with twin killsaws or special one-shot rokkits to aid in defeating the Space Marines' Power Armour. Stormboyz transports]] Ghazghkull likes to hit his foes hard and fast and few other troops are as brutally effective at this type of lightning warfare as Stormboyz. In WAAAGH! Ghazghkull, mobs of Stormboyz are a common feature in many Ork warbands. Their military-minded way of thinking fits in perfectly with those in the Goff klan. Stormboyz use their Rokkit Packs to launch swift strikes against their enemies –- either assaulting key objectives, taking out vulnerable foes, or, at the least, causing a nuisance that allows the rest of the mobs to move up in range to swing their Choppas. After claiming to see visions of Gork's anger descending like a bolt from the skies, Ghazghkull had the bright idea to mass his Stormboyz. He first attempted this with some success during the later stages of the Second War for Armageddon, and since then it has become a proven part of his assault plans. There are few shock assaults more devastating than many mobs of Stormboyz hurtling out of the skies all at once. Without exception, these Stormboyz squads aspire to live long enough to make as big a name for themselves as the infamous Zagstruk and his Vulcha Skwad. It is not unusual for Stormboyz in WAAAGH! Ghazghkull to bear the extra black and white checks associated with Goff mobs or a variant of Ghazghkull's personal symbol -– perhaps emblazoned with rokkit fuel or marked by lightning bolts. The Choppa Storm have even developed a rude militaristic marching song which they bellow as they descend to battle, although mercifully the words are typically drowned out by the roar of their Rokkit Packs. Da Goff Guard Battle-scarred and grim, only the hardest of the hard have what it takes to join the Goff Guard. Some of the Orks in Da Goff Guard came from Urk and have stuck by their Warlord through all his many travels. Wherever Ghazghkull can be found, it's rare if Da Goff Guard aren't close to hand. Rightfully proud to be associated with "da Greatest Greenskin ta live n' breathe", there are a profusion of back banners, Goff symbols and the Ghazghkull horn-silhouettes amongst Da Goff Guard. Where Ghazghkull leads, da Goff Guard follow. When Ghazghkull smashed down the final blast door and charged the last defences of Hades Hive on Armageddon, it was the Goff Guard that followed. When the Prophet of Gork and Mork cut deep into the Tyranids on Octaria, it was the black armoured might of the Goff Guard that chopped their way behind him. During his first invasion of Armageddon the Goff Guard took so many banners and Aquila-topped standards from the Astra Militarum and Adeptus Astartes that they piled them and made a bonfire visible from orbit -– that last bit may be a tall tale they spread around the camps, but who is going to dispute the biggest and baddest Orks who also happen to have the favour of the mightiest of them all -– Ghazghkull himself? Goffs Tactics overwhelm the enemy with their brutal tactics]] Goffs are brutally straightforward in battle. They are the biggest and most ferocious Orks, and are a terrifying sight to behold when they strike as a ceaseless tide of green violence. Goffs believe that the viability of any plan is in the execution (namely, the execution of anyone with the foolish gall to stand before them). As such, they tend to surge across the field of war in vast, crushing waves of Boyz and Nobz, all following their Warboss. For Goffs, strategy and tactics are largely indistinct (even more than for other Orks). Anything that stands before them must be smashed, and anything less than immediately bludgeoning a challenger to death with the objects on hand is decidedly un-Orky. Klan Beliefs Excessive deviation from the way of the klan is met with derision, and the miscreant will certainly get clobbered by any Goff Ork Warboss who comes his way. War paint and tattoos are also considered taboo by the Goffs, but skull earrings, death's head pendants, metal studs piercing the flesh, skull-shaped gorgets hung around the throat, and large nose-rings are favoured. To the Goffs, these are the outward signs of the tough character of the inner Ork. Klan Appearance of the Goffs klan]] Klan Colours Goff livery is predominantly black with white highlights. The sombre monochrome of their colours is considered, among their ranks, the only proper attire for a grim and serious Ork warrior. They also tend to utilise a black and white chequer pattern on their armour, wargear, and vehicles, but this is as far as any self-respecting Goff warrior goes in the way of ornamentation. The very idea of camouflage is anathema to the Goffs, for they consider its use both cowardly and an affront to Gork and Mork. In addition, the use of bright colours and flashy bits of chrome or polished metals as ornamentation for clothes, armour, and wargear is frowned upon, and the use of such fripperies is sure to get an offending Goff a savage tongue-lashing from a surly elder. The only kind of ornamentation countenanced among the Goffs are bighorns, massive curved horns cut from the heads of dangerous beasts and worn on helmets as a sign of the Ork's utter fearlessness and brute resilience. The slave herds of Snotlings and Gretchin are not permitted to wear black -- this privilege is reserved for full Goffs alone. However, the Snotz and Grotz are allowed to paint their faces with black paint. The slaves must be content with drab, neutral colours. Any attempt to wear bright colours is met with extreme chastisement at the hands of a disapproving Goff. Klan Totem The Goffs Klan symbol is a black bull's head over a red circle on a black banner, often with a black and white chequer pattern around the edges for contrast. They utilise the bull's head as their klan totem as the Goffs feel a great kinship with bad-tempered, violent and flatulent beasts. Sources *''Codex: Orks'' (7th Edition), pp. 29, 31-33, 70, 72 *''Codex: Orks'' (4th Edition), pg. 13 *''Only War: Enemeis of the Imperium'' (RPG), pp. 65-66 *''Imperial Armour Eight - The Raid on Kastorel-Novel'' *''Waaagh! Ghazghkull: A Codex Orks Supplement'' (7th Edition), pp. 26-28, 30-31, 33-38, 40, 84-86, 90 *''Waaargh! Da Orks'' (1st Edition) *''White Dwarf'' 349 (UK), "Clan Loyalties," by Phil Kelly, pg. 29 *''White Dwarf'' 290 (UK) "Chapter Approved: Ork Claz" by Andy Chambers and Andy Hoare. *''White Dwarf'' 237 (US) "Orky Armies" by Andy Chambers Gallery File:Goffs_Icon.jpg|Ancient Goffs Klan sigil File:Goffs_Banner2.jpg|Variant of the Goff klan icon File:Goffs_Banner.jpg|Goffs Klan Banner Ghaz's Banner 2.jpg|Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka's Personal Banner Ghaz's Banner.jpg|Warlord Ghazghkull Thraka's Boss Banner Ghazghkull's Goff Warband Symbols.jpg|Ghazghkull Thraka's Goff warband iconography Ghazghkull's Goff Warband Symbols 2.jpg|Ghazghkull Thraka's Goff warband iconography used by the various Ork klanz Goffs.jpg|The Goffs and their vehicles File:Goffs_Big_Trakk.png|A Goffs Big Trakk File:Goffs_Deth_Rolla_Battle_Fortress.png|A Goffs Deth Rolla Battle Fortress File:Goffs_Deth_Rolla_Battle_Fortress_combat.png|A Goffs Deth Rolla Battle Fortress in battle File:Goffs_Kill_Krusha_Hvy_Tank.png|A Goffs Kill Krusha Heavy Tank File:Goffs_Kill_Krusha_Hvy_Tank_Kastorel-Novem.jpg|A Goffs Kill Krusha Heavy Tank on Kastorel-Novem File:Goffs_Klan_Trukk.png|A Goffs klan Trukk File:Goff_Ork_Trukk.png|A Goffs Battlewagon File:Goffs_Gun_Wagon.png|A Goffs Gun Wagon File:Goffs_Looted_Rhino_1.png|A Goffs looted Rhino in battle, Kastorel-Novem File:Goffs_Looted_Rhino_2.png|A Goffs looted Rhino armoured personnel carrier File:Goffs_Looted_Rhino_3_rolla_attachment.jpg|A Goffs looted Rhino with "deth rolla" attachment and additional turret File:Goffs_Warbike.png|A Goffs Warbike Ghazgkhull Thraka RT Era.jpg|An ancient depiction of a powerful Goffs Warboss File:Ork_warboss_only_war_jubjubjedi.jpg|A Goffs Warboss File:Goff_Nob_Mega-Armour.jpg|A Goffs Meganob File:Goff_klan_ork_by_diegogisbertllorens.jpg|A Goff 'Ard Boy charging into battle File:Goffs_Warleader_Ghazghkull.jpg|A Goff Warlord, the infamous Ghazghkull Thraka File:Goff_Boyz.jpg|A Goffs Boy -- some of the biggest and 'ardest of the Ork klanz File:Goff_Boyz_2.jpg|A Goffs Boy armed with a Shoota and a Choppa File:Goffs_Deff_Dred.jpg|A Goffs Deff Dread; many Orks make the mistake of becoming a Deff Dred pilot in the belief that it is a shortcut too power; in truth, it's a shortcut to a life spent in a walking metal can, albeit one with big klawz and gunz File:Goffs_Killa_Kan.jpg|A Goffs Killa Kan Goff Deff Dred 1.png|A Goffs Killa Kan Goff Gorkanaut da' Mangler.png|A Goffs Gorkanaut, the Da' Mangler es:Goff Category:G Category:Ork Category:Ork Klans